This month's letter is about self improvement which should be the goal of all
human beings. However, very few people search for real self improvement it
usually is a search for money not culture. For me it is a search for true
culture and to have better self control, 'behavior' and more knowledge. So my
point is self improvement is to know more and have more culture which is
spiritual and human not have more money or more
things.
For example, today I was walking to the dentist and I ran into some man
who said hello and was very friendly so I talked to him. But the real deal was
that he got some free food from the local church and he was trying to sell it to
me by giving it away and then asking me for a dollar to buy a beer. I told him
that I eat too much bread and it makes me fat so he brings out a nice salad. So
I bought it for a dollar, but I did not really buy it I bought him a beer
according to him. Wow, I do not know what to say to this, maybe I should be
this way too. I know the Dentist here told me so many lies about my teeth and
my dentures. They are awful this clinic (is and was). This is another story,
but Doctors are the same as the beer guy, I need a dollar to buy a beer; the
medical industry have so much going for them and they still act like the man in
the street is my point. Education doesn't mean one knows how to be a human
being. This is on another level.
What is interesting, once people reach a certain level of development they stop
developing. It is like they learned how to go to the bathroom, eat and sleep,
therefore nothing needs to be learned anymore Maybe this could be true. That we
waste our time learning so much? The Buddha says we have to unlearn things to
be a pure human being. I was watching the video Blues Man by Woody Allen, an
honest man, he does not feel the need to pretend, make believe, or try to be
something he is not. He tells it like he believes it to be. What a rare find
he is. Yes, he is famous and I am not saying this because he is famous. I am
saying this because there can be a few men in the world Who do not need to find
excuses for themselves? I am not saying that I agree with everything he says,
but almost.
He said Jazz was the USA's most important art form. I do not see this from the
public response. I never will forget the time I worked into a restaurant to
find work for my quartet and the Club owner said that he has a bar in Manhattan
and the musicians perform for free. You know, I still cannot get over the
disrespect of this statement. In China and HK I found this same attitude.
Mexico was different, but they had respect for money I believe. Canada took all
my Social Security Money and said I did not work in the places I said I did.
Well, so much for the world for me it sucks for the most part when
it comes to business. I have been too busy self improving, writing music,
building families, raising children, improving my performance ability, creating
creative art, and now composing new classical music.
http://members.sibeliusmusic.com/greghenrywaters
Or
http://greghenrywaters.com/scores
Art is the only thing that last in the world and the written word. Everything
else is destroyed in one form or another. I have noticed lately that most all
philosophy and religion comes from the writings of Plato. Well, what can I say?
Music is a divine art too and we have so few real musicians on this level. I
never thought that music was materialistic. Now I know it is. It is not any
different than a car. A car does not have feeling. You
can hit it, beat it, kick it, burn it and it will not say anything. The problem
is that the materialistic music controls most of the industry. You change one
note of a divine piece of music and it will not be the same is my point. For the
soul feels the notes of music even if they are not divine or are divine. I was
studying the organ pieces of J.S. Bach the other day. It reminded me of the
modern day computer except one man produced this music not thousands of
programmers. This is the difference of the power of one man who has the light
has the reach of thousands and thousands of people.
I must say I am really happy I am composing some classical music. For me jazz
is wonderful and very creative, but classical music the composer has complete
control over his piece and can bring light to the light of music.
Anyway, I hope this can bring you to some decision on your next project of self
improvement, not from a memory view point but from a human view point. This is
something one has to work on an entire lifetime.
Please send me e-mail would love to hear from you.
gwatersusa@gmail.com
Greg Henry Waters
http://greghenrywaters.com